A Star Equivalency Reviews 

They have changed and I love it!

I took a science test with them a year ago and the paper itself felt more like an A level than a GCSE level. Since then they have improved massively.

The customer service is amazing! They can offer private tutors for each subject (which definitely helps). The science course they offer is impeccable, especially the revision videos (Focus there if you're time limited)

My invigilator (female) was professional, reassuring and took the time to explain everything to me before starting.

I worked really hard studying and I am pleased to report I passed first time with a level 5. ( I could have got level 6, but ran out of time to go back on a 6mark question)

I would highly recommend A star for science. Thank you to the invigilator, my tutor Leyton and the customer service team. I can now start my PGCE in September. 😁

I recently obtained my Grade 4 pass, and I couldn't be happier. I had a very positive experience with A* Equivalency and would absolutely recommend it to anyone who needs a GCSE equivalency.

For more details, I am going to divide this review into the course content and the exam experience itself. For a full disclaimer, I needed a Grade 4 to proceed with my PGCE programme, and I hadn't done any formal math in nearly two decades.

First, I'll talk about the course. I signed up for the course because I initially failed my A* Foundation Tier maths exam with a distressing 50/100 score. I signed up for one month of premium access immediately afterward, and it was certainly useful. The practice questions and section tests cover everything you'll need to know for the exam. They also provide helpful video solutions in case you got a question wrong, though the odd time the explanations weren't as clear as I would have hoped and required me to supplement them with my own investigations. My biggest problem with the course is that the past papers are easily the most valuable resource, and there are only ten of them available. Technically, there are really only nine because one of them is essentially just the sample paper you can download for free. This amount just isn't sufficient. For the price you're paying, I think at least fifteen would be more reasonable. Also, another problem was that answers are usually displayed in a multiple choice format, which can ultimately harm students for the exam where you have to write out everything for yourself sans any options to see; I think more questions requiring you to type in the answer rather than choosing from a list would be more beneficial. Still, these criticisms aside, I went from a 50 on my first attempt to a 71 the second time (a 42% increase after just one month of revision with the site materials), so the site was an obvious help.

Finally, there's the exam itself. A* answered questions I had emailed in a timely and clear manner, and the constant reminders leading up to my exam were helpful. They were perfectly on time for each exam and provided a professional and smooth experience for me to do my work. For each of the two exams I had to sit, my invigilator was warm and friendly, and on the last exam my invigilator even came up with a convenient solution when my Chinese internet seemed to create a problem while scanning my written answer pages. For an online exam format, this could not have been better, so kudos to A*'s exam process here. They seem to have wonderful staff (and special kudos to invigilator Chloe whose exceptional personability put me at ease).

However, I have to say that the price seems rather steep. The price of this equivalency exam is even more than international standardized tests like TOEFL, which seems exhorbitant; especially considering you have to pay extra or else suffer two weeks of crippling anxiety awaiting your test results.

If you have sufficient funds, you won't go wrong with A*. It's a quality company.

The website and instructions are clear and easy to follow. Whenever I encountered an issue, I was able to reach out immediately to a real person via the website’s chat box, and they provided helpful guidance. The only inconvenience was that the payment process was blocked in the country where I live, so I had to ask someone abroad to complete it on my behalf.

It was a great experience, content of exam was similar to GCSE and I enjoyed solving it online.

Generally happy with all the informations, easy to book and well explained. Thanks!

It was so lovely to engage with a real human being and not a chatbot! Jacob gave first class service promptly and confirmed the information I had acquired through the website but was able to apply a discount and make things easier. Thank you!

My experience with A Star Equivalency was extremely disappointing.

I emailed to cancel my application and request a refund, assuring I was within the timeframe stated in the Terms and Conditions.

Instead of treating my email as the cancellation request, they waited to send me an email with a cancellation form. They claimed that the cancellation period only starts from the moment I submitted their form—not from the date I requested the refund.

I carefully reviewed their Terms and Conditions and could not find anything stating that an email requesting cancellation was insufficient or that a separate cancellation form was required before the process would begin. In fact, their Terms and Conditions clearly state that cancellations need to be submitted in writing to the email address, which I have done, and this (purposefully delayed?) requirement only appeared after I had already emailed them.

As a result, I felt the process was handled in a way that significantly disadvantaged me.

Delaying the start of the cancellation period until after they chose to send a form meant the timeframe they relied on was effectively under their control, which I found very unfair, especially when it meant them claiming that I wasn't eligible for any refund.

When I raised these concerns and even referred them to the relevant clauses in their own Terms and Conditions, they did not meaningfully address my points to this day, but are continuing to send me reminders about the exam I had originally booked in - and cancelled - for tomorrow.

If you're considering using A Star Equivalency, I strongly recommend you to think twice if you expect to be needing customer support throughout the process. Their responses are delayed in general, and in my experience, their practice doesn't line up with their published Terms and Conditions - sadly on the customer's expense.

I had to do a maths foundation course to go into teacher training. The platform is good as are all the mock papers that are available. If you get a question wrong, it pops that topic into a personalised revision list. This is great because it helps you focus in on the topics that you need to focus on and ignore the rest. I also got offered a tuition call which was beyond what I expected. Thank you!

I really recommend A Star Equivalency. I had my Gcse Maths Equivalency exam and I passed first time. The course is very well structured and also, the exam it was staight forward. Thank you so much A Star Equivalency!

The course was ok but when it came to taking the exam I was upset as it looked nothing like the practice exams which were apparently past papers. Some of the questions I encountered were worded so differently in the exam, it was like I hadn't even learned it.

Everything and more was available. Astar support were quick to respond when needed. Perhaps some sorting into calculator and non calculator amongst the topics would be helpful

The course is well structured with lots of opportunities to practice with feedback. There was also lots of mock exams which helped build confidence for the exam. The exam was also highly professional and well explained prior to starting. I would highly recommend.

I came to A Star equivalency to take my Maths equivalency test. 1st time I failed, retook a 2nd time and passed!! All the content was really useful and organised.
My only complaint, was that on booking my test first time I purchased the exam with a free resit if I failed. When I came to rebook this was not true and I had to fork out more money. This needs to be made clear to future customers as I feel this is misleading.

Overall pretty good service, BUT I have 2 dissapointments.
Firstly, the service works wel overall, and I passed my English equivalency test.
BUT:
1.after logging into the learning portal it still says that I am on free subscription, even though I am actually on the 99 pounds/months subscription.
2.The AI evaluations of the mock tests are quite generous. Meaning, in my opinion, way too generous. I was getting 70,65,75 out of 100 in my mock exams, but in my actual exam for the certification, I scored quite lower: 57 out of 100 marks. The AI evaluations seem to be way too generous.
But the service works overall and seems to be the most trusted and established in its domain. Especially for teacher training providers.

I have recently sat two exams with A Star, combined science and English.
With science, my friend had purchased the course and booked the exam but no longer needed to continue with it so she was able to transfer the course material and exam over my name. The online course material was easy to follow and I found it informative along with the paper revision guides. It did seem very daunting at first as there are a lot of modules to complete but I planned my vision wisely and completed all vision within 2 months. The exam process was smooth and hassle free however the invigilator did not give me a reminder if how long was left but thankfully I had just finished the last question as he called time. I did not pay for fast track and my results came in on the 9th day after the exam with pass.
With the English, I did not pay for the course only the exam as I did find it a little expensive along with fast track results however I paid through clear pay which eased the financial burden a little. I had used YouTube videos and chatgpt to complete revision as there was a free mock to complete on the site so I understood the process before hand. The exam itself was again smooth and this time the invigilator gave reminders of time remaining. The lady was very friendly as she asked how I thought it went and we had a little conversation at the end which was really nice. My only gripe is that I had to chase my results as it went over the time period for fast track. However after two phone calls (one to advise and another to check the process was on its way) I received my results later that day again with a pass.
For both exams, I was able to order a free electronic certificate which I printed myself and I sent the downloaded certificate to my University. I am able to now start my teacher training in September so thank you very much A Star.

I wish I could give this platform zero stars. I chose it because they seemed organized and advertised their courses as guaranteed ways to pass the exam. However, I took the exam twice and relied on their misleading feedback from their practice tests, which ended up being completely inaccurate. As a result, I failed both times. I filed a formal complaint with their team, explaining my experience, and they acknowledged that their system isn't accurate. However, instead of offering any compensation, they suggested an online tutor that would just cost me more money.

For the third time, instead of using their useless course, I studied with ChatGPT and passed the exam with a good score!

Additionally, they have a “pay now, choose date later” option that feels like a scam. When I tried to book my exam, I discovered that I'd have to pay extra fees, making it more expensive than just booking a time outright. On top of that, the examiners tend to grade very harshly.

My advice is to stay away from the A Star equivalency exam platform. If you have no other options, just go for the exam without buying their promoted course. It’s a waste of money, and it could lead to failing the exam, missing deadlines, and added stress.

So far I’ve been impressed with A Star Equivalency. I recently booked for an equivalency test with them for GCSE Maths, I had my first support session with Laura and found this useful!

Team was very supportive during the exam time and was quick to respond to emails regarding the queries about the exam.On top result was out on the next day itself as I had applied for a fast track.

Taking my English GCSE test with A Star Equivalency was seamless and stress-free. A huge thank you to the lovely lady who monitored my exam online. She was incredibly professional, kind, and completely put my nerves at ease during the setup. Highly recommend this service!